The breadth of this book is amazing. From growing vegetables, canning, raising livestock from chicken to cows, making hard and soft cheeses, to how to prune trees and bushes, the books covers a lot of ground. The editor, Carleen Madigan, pulls information out of dozens of books from the Storey publishing house and compiles it all into a very easy to read format. In short, the book gives you an overview on how to grow or raise your own food and what to do with it after harvest.

I’m a novice, I tried to grow a garden that wasn’t all that successful, so a lot of this book was enlightening for me. Armed with new knowledge, I’m making plans to try another garden. Knowing what to do better and what to watch out for helps me feel like I’ll have a better chance of success.

Since this is just a broad overview, don’t expect nitty-gritty details on things like every animal disease and every pest in the garden, but it’s more than enough to get me off on the right foot and provide a valuable reference.

I highly recommend this book.